Tracker-box.



W. P. BAYER.

TRACKER BOX.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1908. 1,064,810, Patented June 17, 1913.

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WILLIAM F. BAYER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHASE & BAKER, COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TRACKER-BOX.

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Application filed September 28, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM F. BAYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tracker-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tracker boards for automatic musical instruments, as pianos, piano players and organs, and more particularly to tracker boards having provisions for shifting the tracker-ducts laterally with reference to the lines of perforations in the music-sheet, in order to transpose the music as well as correct inaccuracies of registration between the perforations and the tracker-ducts due to warping or shrinkage of the music sheet.

The object of my invention is the production of an eilicient tracker-board of this class which can be conveniently adjusted.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the board, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a rear view thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged cross sections on the correspondingly-numbered lines in Fig. 1. F ig. 5 is a perspective view of the guiderail of the tracker-bar.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

A, A indicate the usual cheeks or uprights of the tracker-board, B and C the customary music and take-up rolls journaled therein, and D the music sheet. The driving mechanism of the rolls is omitted, as the same forms no part of my present invention.

E indicates a guide-rail or bar preferably of metal, extending across the front side of the cheeks about midway between the music and take-up rolls, and suitably secured in notches 6 formed in the front edges of the cheeks.

F indicates a laterally-adjustable trackerbar of brass or other suitable material applied to the front side of the rail E and guided thereon preferably by means of longitudinal ribs or tenons 9 arranged on the face of the rail at its upper and lower edges and engaging corresponding grooves it in the back of the tracker-bar.

The tracker bar is held in place against the rail by shouldered screws a passing for wardly through longitudinal slots j formed in the rail near its ends and entering screw threaded openings in the back of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17, 1913. Serial No. 455,066.

tracker-bar, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The tracker-bar is provided with a row of tracker-ducts is, like those of ordinary tracker-boards. With these ducts indi vidual tubes or nipples Z communicate, which are soldered or otherwise secured to the rear side of the bar and to which are applied the usual flexible tubes m or other conduits leading to the pneumatics of the action, not shown. These tubes pass rearwardly through a comparatively wide longitudinal slot a formed in the guide-rail E, which slot is somewhat longer than the row of tubes to permit the necessary longitudinal adjustment of the tracker-bar on the rail, for bringing the tracker-ducts into accurate register with the rows of perforations of the music sheet or shifting the ducts laterally in relation to the music sheet to a sufficient extent to raise or lower the key of the music one or more semi-tones, in a well-known manner.

Any suitable means may be employed for adjusting the tracker-bar. The preferred device shown in the drawings consists of a horizontal adjusting screw 0 arranged in one of the cheeks A and engaging a screw threaded opening in a lug 79 extending upwardly from the adjacent end of the trackerbar which latter is extended beyond the cheek for this purpose, as shown. The adjusting screw is free to rotate in a bushing Q secured in an opening of the cheek, but is held against endwise movement therein by the head or knob 0 of the screw which bears against the inner end of the bushing, and a shoulder 0 of the screw which abuts against an internal shoulder of the bushing. It is apparent from this construction, that upon turning the adjusting screw 0 in one or the other direction, the tracker bar F is shifted crosswise of the music sheet accordingly, enabling any inaccuracy of registration between the tracker ducts and the perforations of the music sheet to be readily corrected.

The spaces between the tracker bar F and the upper and lower cross pieces A A of the tracker-frame are preferably closed by curved panels R, R of veneer, or other suitable material, which diverge rearwardly from the guide rail E and are tacked or otherwise secured to the rear edges of the cheeks and cross pieces. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4;, said rail is provided in its rear side above and below its main slot 12 with longitudinal grooves s in which the adjacent front edges of the upper and lower panels R, R are seated and confined, forming neat and secure oints at those points.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tracker box, comprising cheeks or uprights provided in their front edges with notches, a transverse guide-rail secured in said notches, a tracker-bar slidable lengthwise on said guide rail and extending at one end beyond the adjacent cheek, and adjusting means connected with the extended end of the tracker bar.

2. A tracker box, comprising cheeks or supports, a transverse guide-rail secured to said supports and having a longitudinal slot, a tracker-bar adjustable lengthwise on said guide-rail and having a row of ducts, and tubes communicating with said ducts and extending through the slot of the guide rail.

3. A tracker box, comprising cheeks or supports, a transverse guide-rail secured to said supports and having a main longitudinal slot and auxiliary slots at opposite ends. of the main slot, a tracker-bar adjustable lengthwise on said rail and having tubes communicating with its ducts and extending through said main slot, and screws passing through said auxiliary slots into the tracker-bar.

4. A tracker-box, comprising cheeks or supports, a transverse guide-rail secured to said supports and having a longitudinal slotand longitudinal ribs on the face thereof above and below said slot, a tracker-bar having ducts and provided on its rear side with grooves which receive said ribs, and tubes communicatingwith said ducts and extending through said slot.

5. A tracker box, comprising cheeks or uprights, upper and lower cross pieces connecting said uprights, a transverse rail secured to said uprights between said cross pieces and provided in its back with longitudinal grooves, and panels extending upwardly and downwardly from said rail and having their adjacent edges seated in said grooves.

Witness my hand this 23rd day of September, 1908.

WILLIAM F. BAYER.

Witnesses:

C. F. GEYER, ERIK HEYL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of I'atents, Washington, I). C. 

